The glass-sided H700i de-stresses cable management and eases building a clutter-free showcase PC. It also comes with its own fan and LED controller, though that bumps up the price.

Building a PC from scratch might seem intimidating to anyone who has never pieced together a system before. Truth be told, it's not that difficult—or at least it shouldn't be. While it can be frustrating working inside a poorly designed PC case, a thoughtfully constructed enclosure offers the exact opposite experience. One of the things that separates a good enclosure from the pack is the type of cable-management scheme it offers, an important consideration both for the benefits of airflow and to show off the guts of your PC. And that happens to be a strong point of NZXT's new $199 H700i chassis.

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The H700i is one of three new cases that carry the torch of NZXT's expanding H-series. It's the largest of the three, a mid-tower supporting standard ATX motherboards and components. The other two are smaller versions for MicroATX (H400i) and Mini-ITX (H200i) builds, with otherwise similar feature sets.

While technically a mid-tower, the H700i is larger than most, measuring 516mm (H) x 230mm (W) x 494mm (D). You can remove the feet so that it's slightly shorter, though only by 22mm. We recommend leaving them on to keep the case raised off the ground. This allows cool air to circulate from underneath the case and up through a vent where the power supply is nestled.

The H700i is also heavy for a mid-tower. It checks in at just over 27 pounds, and that's before stuffing it chock full of parts. That heft comes from a nearly all-steel frame and a large, tempered-glass side window that is heavier than acrylic. It's not the kind of case you'll want to lug around to LAN parties, nor was it designed to be.

At first look, it would be easy to mistake the H700i for NZXT's S340 Elite, another attractive enclosure with overall similar styling. However, the H700i has a bit more character, both in form and function. It also costs twice as much, with a $200 MSRP. That's a big upcharge, and it's directly related to the case's integrated "Smart Device" controller.

The controller provides the same capabilities as NZXT's GRID+ and HUE+ products, combining a fan and LED controller into a single module. Purchased separately, the GRID+ ($60) and HUE+ ($30) would set you back $90. That's in line with the price difference between the H700i and S340 Elite, though the H700i would be just fine without it, and a better value to boot. (We'll discuss that in more detail further into this review.)

Overall, the H700i is a worthy addition to NZXT's product line, and one that further cements the company's position as a premium case designer. Looking back, it's hard to believe that NZXT is the same case maker that released the Nemesis Elite, a garish-looking enclosure that, to be fair, reflected the gamer market when it came out over a decade ago. As with NZXT's more recent cases, the H700i appeals to more mature tastes, but is nevertheless anything but boring.

Design and Features

Buyers interested in the H700i can choose from a few different color options, including matte black, matte white, black with blue trim, and black with red trim. NZXT sent us the black and red variant, and it looks gorgeous in person.

What stands out about the trim is that it doesn't have a cheap-plastic look, as other cases sometimes do. And whoever painted the parts, whether it was NZXT or a third-party, did an excellent job. There was no visible bubbling or brush strokes on our review sample. A word of caution, though—handle the case with care, as the paint will chip if you scrape it. We managed to do exactly that, though it was on the right side of the case in a section that the side panel hides from view.

You'll also want to take caution when removing the tempered-glass panel. It is held in place with four thumb screws. The screws twist off easily; just make sure you're holding the glass firm when untwisting the last one, so the window doesn't come crashing down on a corner. It also wouldn't hurt to have a lint-free cloth handy to wipe away any fingerprints before you slap it back on.

We are starting to see a growing number of cases adopting multiple glass panels, as many as four in some instances. The H700i is not one of them. Each of the other sides is made of metal. The easiest one to remove is the right-side panel. It pops right off with the press of a button, and snaps back into place just as easily...

NZXT deserves a fist bump for this, as even today it can sometimes be a hassle lining up the side panel and getting it to close on certain cases.

While not a modular case like the Be Quiet Dark Base 900 Pro, the H700i has removable front and top panels, though they require a bit more hassle to remove than the side panels. This is an area we'd like to see NZXT address in the next iteration. The only way to remove the top and side panels is to yank them off with force. It feels unsettling, especially when you notice they're held in place with plastic clips. To NZXT's credit, the clips survived multiple arm-wrestling matches as we flexed our muscles and removed the panels several times. But given how easy the right-side panel comes off, we were hoping for the same level of luxury here.

At the very least, you'll want to remove the front panel at various intervals for routine maintenance. There is a dust filter that sits in front of the two front intake fans. It's a good idea to clean them out every so often, especially if you live in a dusty environment or have pets. Unfortunately, the only way to access the dust filter is to pry off the front panel and pray that the plastic clips stay intact.

You can add more fans to the top of the case, though it's not ventilated. We used it to install a pair of NZXT's 140mm AER RGB fans, one of which is shown here below. The main reason for the top section, however, is to house a liquid cooling radiator.

The H700i offers a good selection of USB connectivity on the front I/O panel, including two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (same speed as USB 3.0) and two USB 2.0 ports...

Having easy access to that many USB ports is a boon for VR gaming, as you won't have to reach around the back of the case to plug your Oculus Rift or HTC Vive into your PC. There is also a 3.5mm audio/micro combo jack and a power button on the top front of the case.

Installation and Test Build

Even though the H700i is large for a mid-tower, it's not the most spacious case on the inside. That's okay because NZXT makes up for it with robust flexibility and clever cable management.

Starting with storage, there are three 2.5-inch trays in the front of the case. Two of them sit on top of the power supply shroud, and the other is attached to the side...

All three are removable—just squeeze the sides and they lift right up. This is convenient because you can remove unused drive trays to make more space, as well as move them around on top of the shroud to make room for components and your cable layout. For our test build, we used one of the front 2.5-inch trays for an SSD and the other to hold the HUE+ fan controller that came with the AER RGB fans, which are sold separately.

We installed a third SSD in one of two 2.5-inch trays that sit behind the motherboard tray. These are also removable, and tool-less if you prefer—our SSDs felt snug without using any screws.

Two more drives can be installed in removable cages positioned at the bottom of the case. The cages support both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives. We didn't utilize them for our test build, but we did take advantage of the compartments to hide some cabling...

Routing cables in the H700i is a cinch. NZXT does most of the work for you by arranging the nest of front-panel and fan-control wires through dedicated cable-management sections in the back of the case. This has the added bonus of acting as a sort of map for any additional cables you add to the mix.

There are several spots for wires, each one with Velcro straps to hold them in place. NZXT even includes a miniature version of its cable-management puck to wrap cables around, if you need it...

The result of this thoughtful attention to cable management is an easy experience tidying up the backside of the motherboard tray. Sure, you can't show it off, but if you ever need to rearrange things or add or remove components, you won't have to fumble around a mess of wires. There is plenty of room between the back of the motherboard tray and side panel, too. Other case makers should take note.

It's a little trickier installing a power supply, only because it feels so cramped underneath the PSU shroud. There's no easy way to access the front of the PSU once it's installed. If you have a modular power supply, you'll want to figure out which cables to plug into it first, then install it in the case. If you mess up, you'll have an easier time removing the PSU than trying to wedge another cable into it inside the case.

We didn't run into any trouble fitting a full-size ATX motherboard, Gigabyte's GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3, into the H700i. For this build, we also went with an Intel Core i5-3570K processor using its stock cooler, a couple of sticks of DDR3 RAM, and a Radeon HD 5850 graphics card. Not exactly cutting-edge stuff, but sufficient in determining the level of difficulty in building inside this case.

One thing we haven't discussed in detail up to this point is the "Smart Device" that NZXT includes (and pre-wires) with this case. This fancy piece of equipment is powered by NZXT's CAM software, which you can use to customize the lighting effects and adjust fan speeds. As part of that, the case comes with two LED strips: one pre-installed, and the other bundled with the box to put wherever you want...

But that's not all it does.

The device is equipped with an audio sensor to measure fan noise. Through this sensor and its CAM software, NZXT is pushing an "adaptive noise reduction" feature that uses a cloud-based algorithm to find a balance between optimal cooling and noise. NZXT claims it can reduce system noise by up to 40 percent, though inexperienced builders may not be all that keen on having to fiddle with fan curves and cooling analytics. This also means you're completely bypassing your motherboard and BIOS for cooling parameters, relying solely on NZXT's software to do the job. For ease of use, we'd prefer an external fan controller rather than being forced to go through NZXT's software. That said, it's nice that the controller works with both NZXT's RGB fans and LED lighting.

Conclusion

While NZXT is excited about its fan-control features, we feel the cable-management scheme is the H700i's biggest asset. If you despise routing cables but want a clean-looking build to show off, the H700i is about as easy as it gets. Not only are all the existing wires already neatly arranged, it takes minimal effort to route the ones you add without cluttering up either side of the case. When you're finished, the side glass window and LED strips allow you to display your system in all its glory, and nobody needs to know that it didn't take much effort on your part.

It's also a credit to NZXT that the H700i will appeal to different types of builders. The case's design isn't exactly wild, but buyers can choose from different color trims and then go crazy with RGB lighting, if they want. Toss in some RGB components, and you can put on a dazzling light show. Those who prefer a more conservative aesthetic can stick with white LED lighting or none at all, and enjoy an elegant case.

That said, the question remains: would you pay $200 for a case like this? The cost is easier to justify if you plan to utilize the smart controller, which adds value to the case. It also means committing to NZXT's CAM software. Otherwise, you're paying a premium for a case that is fairly similar to the S340 Elite, albeit more refined and arguably better looking.

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About the Author

Paul is a level 77 technology journalist who has racked up years of experience contributing content to many leading tech publications, both in print and online. He's skilled in old-school adventure gaming, a craft he's been honing since the Commodore 64 era. Though it's a rare skill set that many would argue is no longer relevant in today's FPS lan... See Full Bio

NZXT H700i

NZXT H700i

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